Emergency brake-valve.



No. 808,238. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

G. H. HILL.

EMERGENCY BRAKE VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1904.

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Witnesses:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. HILL, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

EMERGENCY BRAKE-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed June 24, 1904. Serial No. 213,943.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Emergency Brake-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in means for automatically controlling poweractuated brakes in case of an emergency, and is intended for use especially in connection with electrically-propelled vehicles or trains employing a braking system operated by compressed fluid. In the case of electric vehicles running at high speeds it is desirable that thepower should be cut oii and the brakes applied in the case of sickness, death, or accident to the motorman. To accomplish this end, it has been proposed heretofore to provide a valve operative upon the release of the motor-controller handle by the motorman to cut off the power and to establish the proper connections in the air-bi ake system for applying the brakes. The actuating mechanism that has been employed heretofore for this valve consists in a button on the controller-handle which must be kept depressed by the motorman in order to prevent the application of the brakes. This arrangement is open to the objection that the motorman is forced to keep a constant pressure on the controller-handle during the operation of the vehicle or train, which is very fatiguing to the muscles of his hand.

In application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 213,931, filed by F. E. Case on the 24th day of June, 1904, is disclosed an invention having for its object to provide means for en abling the motorman to rest his hands during operation of the vehicle, while at the same time insuring that the brake shall be applied in case the motorman becomes incapacitated from any cause. This result is accomplished by placing the emergency device under the joint control of two handles or operating-levers and by providing connections between the two handles and the device enabling themotorman to prevent the operation of the device as long as he maintains a hand up on either handle. This arrangement enables the motorman to use his hands alternately for this plurpose, and consequently to rest his mus- 0 es.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efiicient form of joint control by two levers for such a system; and it consists in providing two normally open valves connected in series and controlled by independent levers, so that the connection controlled by the two valves may be broken by closing either valve by its controlling-lever.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 shows diagrammatically an airbrake system arranged in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a controller provided with an emergency- Valve and an operating mechanism therefor. Fig. 3 shows a detailed plan view of the connections between the controller mechanism and the pilot-valve. Fig; 4 shows a detail of the connection between the controller-handle and the operating mechanism for the valve. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional elevation of the emergency-valve. Fig. 6 shows a plan view, in cross-section, of the pilo t-valve. Fig. 7 shows a plan view of the handle for the engineersvalve arranged in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 8 shows an elevation of the same, together with the emergencyvalve controlled thereby.

Referring first to Fig. 1, I have shown my invention as applied to an automatic air brake system. In the automatic system the 1 train-pipe normally carries air under pres sure, the pressure being reduced to apply the brake, While in the straight air-brake sys tem the trainpipe is normally at atmospheric pressure and compressed air is admitted for the purpose of applying the brakes. While I have illustrated my invention as ap plied to an automatic air-brake system with the emergency-valves arranged to connect train-pipe to atmosphere to apply the brakes, it will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to a straight air-brake system, the only change required being that the emergency-valves should be arranged to connect train-pipe to reservoir instead of to atmosphere. In 1 accordingly V rep resents the motormans valve connected to the train-line L and to the main reservoir R. C represents the compressor for charging the main reservoir. T represents a triple valve connected to the train-pipe L, and A and B represent the auxiliary reservoir and brakey mder, respectively, connected to the triple valve. A pipe 1 connects the pipe leading from train-pipe L to motormans valve V to an emergencyvalve D, which is shown mounted on the casing F of the motor-controller. A second pipe 2 connects the emergency valve D to atmosphere. Emergency valve D is controlled by two pilot-valves E and E, which are placed in series in the connection from pipe 1 to atmosphere formed by the pipes 3 and 4. Valve E 1s shown in the same casing with emergencyvalve D, and valve E is shown mounted on the engineers valve V. Both valves are normally open, as will be hereinafter explained, thus causing valve D to establish a connection from train-pipe to atmosphere and to apply the brakes. In order to pre vent the application of the brakes, it is necessary that either valve E or valve E should be closed, and this closure is accomplished by the handles of the motormans valve V and of the motorcontroller, respectively. Thus by using one hand or the other the motorman may prevent the application of the brakes during operation.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the connection between emergency-valve E and the operatinghandle of the motor-controller will be explained. This connection is described in prior applications and patentsas, for instance, Patent No. 755,750, issued to F. B. Corey, March 29, 1904-and the specific form of connection shown forms no part of the present invention; but the arrangement will be briefly described here for the better understanding of the invention. 4, which represents the operating-handle for the motor-controller, is mounted on the shaft 5 of the controller-drum. (Not shown.) The shaft 5 carries a sleeve 6, which is provided with a flange 7 and with a spiral spring 15, which tends to rotate the sleeve 6 to bring a lug on flange 7 into engagement with the stationary stop 8, as shown in Fig. 3. 9 represents a button mounted on the controllerhandle 4 and carrying a pin, the lower end of which rests upon the long arm of the pivoted lever 10. 11 is a compression-spring bearing on the short arm of lever 10 and tending to hold it in the position shown with the button 9 raised. The short arm of lever 1.0 engages one end of the notched pivoted lever 12, the other end of which is engaged by the vertically-movable member 13. \Vhen member 13 is depressed by depressing button 9, its lower end engages a slot 14 on flange 7 if the controller-handle is in the off position. Thus by depressing button 9 the sleeve 6 may be caused to rotate with the shaft 5, so as to move away from its engagement with the stationary stop 8. \Vhenever button 9 is released by the motorman, however, sleeve 6 is at once returned to the position shown in the drawings, which movement may be utilized to cut oil the power, as

- in Figs. 3

shown in Patent No. 755,750, above referred to. Flange 7 also carries a downwardly and outwardly projecting lug 16. (Clearly shown and 4.) When sleeve 6 is in the position shown with flange 7 in engagement with stop 8, the lug 16 engages the end of the pivoted lever 17, the other end of which engages a spindle 18, projecting from the pilotvalve E. Thus when the button 9 is released the spindle 18 is pushed inward by the lever 17, and, as will be hereinafter eX- plained, it is the inward movement of spindle 18 which opens the emergency-valve E. Consequentl y in order to maintain valve E closed it is necessary that button 9 should be depressed.

The arrangement of the pilot-valve E and. the emergencyvalve D is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The spindle 18 carries the valve 19, which is normally held pressed against the seat, as shown in Fig. 6, by spring 21. The spindle 18 is channeled for a portion of its length, as shown in the drawings, so that when it is pressed inward a communication is established between chamber 20, in which the valve 19 is contained, and the passage 21, leading to pipe 3. Chamber 20 is connected by a passage 22 with the chamber 23 in valve D, which, as is shown in Fig. 5, is connected by a restricted passage with chamber 24, into which pipe 1 opens. The connection between chambers 24 and 25 is closed by a valve 26, which is normally held;

pressed inward by releasing button 9, as has w been heretofore explained, a connection is established between chamber 23, through passage 22, to chamber 20, through the channels on the spindle 18, through passage 21 to pipe 3, which is open to atmosphere unless the other pilot-valve E is closed. The pressure in chamber 23 is thereby exhausted, and since the connection between chambers 23 and 24 is too restricted to permit of a quick equalization of the pressure the greater pressure on the lower side of valve 26 presses the valve upward. against the pressure of spring 27, connecting pipe 1, through chambers 24 and 25, with pipe 2. Thus the train-pipe is connected to atmosphere by the foregoing operations and the brakes are applied. In order to prevent the application of the brakes upon the release of button 9, it is necessary to hold the other pilot-valve E closed.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8, 28 represents the handle of the engineers valve. This handle carries the pivoted lever 29, the long arm of which extends over the handle 28 and the short arm of which is engaged by a com-' pression-spring 30. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8.) Spring 30 tends to depress the short arm and to elevate the long arm of lever 29. In Fig. 8 the lever 29 is shown depressed in the position in which it is held by the motorman. The short arm of lever 29 engages a flange 31, carried by the pivoted lever 32. The other end of lever 32 engages a spindle 33, carrying the valve 34. 35-is a compression-spring surrounding spindle 33, which when lever 29 is depressed, as shown, holds the valve 34 in the position shown. l/Vhen lever 29 is released, however, spring 30 depresses the short arm of lever 29, rocking, lever 32 and raising spindle 33. valve 34 is then opened, the compressionspring 35 being overpowered. The pipe 3, which is in connection with the other pilotvalve E and which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8, is connected to the chamber 36 above the valve 34. The pipe 4, which opens to atmosphere, is in connection with the central portion of the spindle 33, which is channeled out, as shown. Consequently when the lever 29 is released and the valve 34 is raised a connection is established between pipe 3 and pipe 4 which results in exhausting the train-pipe and applying the brakes unless the other pilot valve E is closed. l/Vhen lever 29 is depressed, as shown in Fig. 8, the valve 34 closes the connection between pipes 3 and 4.

The construction of the two emergencyvalves and their connections to the operating-handles may be varied as desired without departing from the spirit of myinvention, and I aim in the appended claims to cover all such modifications.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an air-brake system, in combination with a motor-controller, two valves connect' ed in series and arranged normally to establish connections for applying the brakes, and operative connections from said valves to the handles of the controller and of the motormans valve respectively.

2. In an air-brake system, in combination with a motor-controller, two normally open valves connected in series and normally establishing a connection for applying the brakes, and operative connections from said valves to the handles of the controller and of the motormans valve respectively whereby' whereby said brake-applying connections may be controlled by either handle.

4. In an air-brake system, in combination with a motor-controller, a normally open pipe connection adapted to apply the brakes, and two valves inserted in series in said connection and controlled by the handles of the controller and of the motormans valve respectively, whereby said pipe connection may be broken by the operation of either handle.

5. In an air-brake system, in combination with a motor-controller, a normally open pipe connection adapted to apply the brakes, two valves inserted in series in said connection, and operative connections from said valves to the handles of the controller and of the motormans valve respectively, whereby one of said valves may be moved to close said pipe connection by the operation of either of said handles.

6. In an air-brake system, two emergencyvalves connected in series and arranged normally to establish connections for applying the brakes, and independent controlling means for said valves.

7. In an air-brake system, two emergencyvalves connected in series and arranged normally to establish connections for applying the brakes, and independent controlling-levers for said valves whereby said braking connection may be broken by the operation of either lever.

8. In an air-brake system, a normally open pipe connection adapted to apply the brakes, two valves insertedin series in said connection, and independent controlling-levers for said valves whereby one of said valves may be moved to close said connection by the operation of either lever.

9. In an automatic air-brake system, a

normally open connection from train-pipe to atmosphere, two normally open valves inserted in series in said connection, and independent controlling means for said valves.

10. In an automatic air-brake system, in combination with a motor-controller, a normally open connection from train-pipe to atmosphere, two normally open valves inserted in series in said connection, and operative connections from said valves to the handles of the controller and of the motormans valve respectively, whereby said pipe connection may be broken by the operation of either handle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of June, 1904.

GEORGE H. HILL.

Witnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD. 

